Game piece



Oct. 18, 1949. DUNCAN 2,485,143

' GAME PIECE Filed Aug. 6, .1946

.- 2"]1e0a0135 1.} Duncan,

INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 18, 1949 2 UNITED GAME PIECE Theodore R. Duncan, North Hollywood, Calif.

Application August 6, 1946, Serial No. 688,609

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a game apparatus.

Speaking more specifically, the invention relates to a game set employed in playing various pawn-alining games such as Tick-Tack-Toe, Hollywood Chess, Dog-Eat-Dog, and the like.

The invention further relates, as an article of manufacture, to a novel pawn element, and to a set of such elements dimensioned and contoured to interfit each other.

In playing old-fashioned tick-tack-toe only nine pawns would have to be used, but ten would be provided in two contrasting colors, five of each color.

While the game called tick-tack-toe, or apartment-house tick-tacktoe provided for by this invention can be played with the mechanism herein described, it can only be played by methods requiring more skill and foresight than other mechanisms known heretofore.

In the older games of this sort it was possible for either player to play any one of twentyseven positions at any time during the play. This spoiled the game because no cunning was needed to win.

With the hereinafter described game arrangement it is impossible to play upper positions until lower ones are played, because the pawns must be stacked one upon the other.

The sockets in the board, and in the pawns having the cylindrical projections thus serve a dual purpose, viz: the pawns will be held in alignment so that scores can be readily seen, and the player is required to plan his strategy in advance in order to win. This is readily seen in one of the new three-dimensional tick-tacktoe games described hereinafter.

With a view to improving upon the above mentioned games it is an important object of the invention to provide a game apparatus wherein pawns may be selectively attached either to a playing board or to each other so that they may be aligned in longitudinal, transverse or diagonal patterns across the board, as well as being stacked vertically in such alignment.

Another object is to provide a new article of manufacture consisting of an improved typical pawn.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, the novelty consisting in the features of construction, combination of parts, the unique relations of the members and their relative proportioning, disposition and operation,

three-dimensional all as more completely outlined herein and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Referring in detail to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my game board with several pawns in playing position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the board and pawns, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two pawns indicating the manner of their connection.

My game board to is shown rectangularly shaped, having a flat bottom l2 adapted to be placed upon a table or other support, arcuated sides I 4 and a top, fiat, playing field l6 characterized by a pluralit of preferably cylindrical holes or sockets l8 drilled therein in a predetermined pattern arrangement. As here illustrated, there are nine holes in a square formation, having three uniformly spaced holes on each side and one centered in the midlde. Each hole is aligned with one or more others, longitudinally, transversely and diagonally, so that eight different straight lines each connecting three holes may be drawn.

Also provided are a number of bodies or pawns 20 preferably of spherical shape and differentiated by color, numbers or other indicia, each pawn having an outwardly extending, cylindrical shank 22 and an oppositely located cylindrical socket 24 similar to those (l8) of the board, the several pawn shanks 22 being adapted to fit snugly into any one of the corresponding sockets in the playing board or in those in other pawns to form vertical piles.

An advantage results from providing the pawns with spherical bodies, said bodies being abuttable against each other when the pawns are stacked, for when a player wishes to disassemble a stack of pawns he can wedge his finger tips into opposite sides of the inwardly tapering space between adjacent pawn bodies and thus readily force said bodies apart even though their shank portions (which desirably fit closely in the sockets) become rather tightly wedged into the sockets provided for them. Also, for a like reason, the spherical body of each pawn, facilitates manually picking it up from a socket of the game board when said pawn is seated in said socket.

Generally three pawns are provided for each hole or a total of 28 for a 9 hole board, so as to be divided evenly into two sets distinguished by white and red, or other contrasting colors. It wil1 accordingly be seen that by thus providing for the construction or assembly of triads of pawns in three dimensions, many different combinations can be formed. By the simplest procedure, whenever, by alternate moves a player gets three of his pawns aligned in a horizontal row he gets a point. Additional scoring may be made by vertically staggered alignment as illustrated in Figure 2. Again, a player may be restricted to placing his pawns only in open holes or on his opponents pawns but not on his own. Many other games may be developed with my pawns and playing board which need not be detailed here, but one is provided by way of example.

In playing Dog-Eat-Dog either player chooses a color and with eyes closed selects three pawns from a pawn supply box containing fourteen red and fourteen white pawns. If two or more of the three are his color he gets first play, otherwise first play goes to his opponent.

Each player in turn sets a pawn of his color on the board, but play is permitted only .in open holes or on top of opponents pawns.

Three of the same color in line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally count one point each. Double, triple and quadruple plays are possible, and full score must be claimed when played, or else opponent can. claim it. Highest score wins.

The game just described places a premium on planned strategy. Since the pawns are always played three high this means that the player placing the lowest pawn will have to place the highest pawn, also. This may or may not be to his advantage. For example, the best position on the board is second pawn in the middle hole, because this permits scoring on any one of eight diagonal plays. But this position is of no value whatever unless the player can place the first pawns in two opposite corners or in two opposite middle holes at the side. Furthermore neither player can place the second pawn in the middle hole until his opponent has placed the first'pawn. While one player is striving to make diagonal plays his opponent may beat him with horizontal scores. Scoreless games are possible, also, games in which one player wins all points, his opponent winning nothing. The final outcome of each game is determined in the first few moves.

The game called Dog-Eat-Dog is only one of a great number that can be played by .means .of

this simple mechanical contrivance. For all games which can be played by means of it, the

invention has certain advantages.

The pawn bodies are preferably spherical or cylindrical in shape so they can be turned on an automatic lathe. A spherical shape is, also, preferred because this form can be plasti-coated to a fine finish in an automatic tumbler or centrifugal type enameling machine. The game in this form can thus be made of low cost materials and sold at a price that anyone can afford.

While my invention has been herein illustrated by reference to pawns of particularly shaped bodies and shanks as well as by a playing board containing a specified number of cylindrical sockets, it is to be understood that such details are given by way of example rather than as a limitation, and it is my intention to claim the invention broadly, limited only by the prior art.

I claim: In a tick-tack-toe game, a pawn comprising a spherical body provided with a socket of circular cross section directed radially of the body to a depth exceeding the radius thereof, and a stem of circular cross section projecting from said body in alignment with the axis of the socket, said stem being of such diameter as to frictionally fit into the socket of another similar pawn and into sockets of a board so that a multiplicity of the pawns can be detachably assembled in closely engaged alignment.

THEODORE; R. DUNCAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 40,999 Gill Dec. 22, 1863 486,308 Watt Nov. 15, 1892. 947,603 Steacy Jan. 25, 1910 1,510,853 Latz Oct. 7, 1924 1,605,703 Brown Nov. 2, 1926' 2,084,912 Klep June 22, 1937 2,313,473 I-Ieacock Mar. 9, 1943 

